The next growth industry: non voyage parties for deportees. Pinatas and mariachi bands included.
Years ago, my wife had a complicated surgery. She spent one miserable Friday night post op in the hospital that had uncontrolled patients and sometimes family members roaming the hallways.
Starting at about 9 am on that Saturday morning, whenever south of the border patients, were released, there would be singing and a Mariachi group roaming the hallways playing their guitars and singing along with the patients’ family.
Her surgeon was typical surgeon. Great surgeon and crappy at best patient followup. He was getting ready to leave town on vacation and planned to leave her in the hospital.
After a tense phone call during which I told him I would be making a house call if he didn’t show up at the hospital and release my wife.
He showed up about 30 minutes later and made his way through the fiesta music. As he was checking her vital signs, the Marachi band started. He closed the door, and I opened it again.
I looked at him and said, “You really had no ideal this is a normal happening on Saturday mornings.
He said no, and signed the release papers, and told me I was responsible if she had problems.
The floor nurse, a long time friend of ours, got my wife ready to go home and had an orderly with a wheel chair.
The 3 of us got my wife into the wheelchair and pushed past the Mariachi guys, to the elevator and to the first floor exit.
I drove home and had a neighbor help me get her out of our vehicle, in the house and in bed. My wife took a drink of water and slept for over 12 hours. She hadn’t had much sleep the night before her operation and zero the night post op.
I never got an answer to my question, did the hospital pay the Mariachi band, or where they volunteers.
Ugh! Unreal. Glad she got some good rest.